GetSwift boss Joel Macdonald raked it in as company struggled

As executive director of GetSwift, ex-AFL player Joel Macdonald pocketed $1.35 million, despite the company being under siege from the corporate cop and a shareholder class action.

GetSwift executive director Joel Macdonald. Picture: James Croucher

Cashed-up former AFL player Joel Macdonald was paid more than a million dollars — including a hefty bonus — as executive director of GetSwift, despite the company being under siege from the corporate cop and a shareholder class action.

This year, the man who played 125 AFL games with Melbourne and Brisbane raked in long-term benefits, bonuses and base pay of $1.35 million. This included a short-term bonus of $391,270.

GetSwift’s share price has fallen 88 per cent since the highs of late 2017.

This followed revelations it was under investigation over claims it made a number of misleading announcements about clients it had secured between February and December 2017.

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GetSwift is pencilled in to face the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in the Federal Court next June. A month later it is set to face a class action by lawyers Phi Finney McDonald.

GetSwift directors justified this year’s short-term bonus payment, saying they were “within the recommendation provided by the remuneration consultant”.

To his credit, Macdonald did give back $240,000 of the $650,000 the board handed him in 2018.